House of Lords: Reform

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on proposals for legislative reform of the House of Lords.

Jack Straw: I outlined the Government plans on the immediate next steps on House of Lords reform in my statement on 19 July 2007,  Official Report, column 449. I hope to be able to publish a further White Paper around the turn of the year, with the aim of producing draft clauses that would form elements of the final draft Bill. My intention through the work of the cross-party working group on Lords reform is to formulate a comprehensive reform package that we would put to the electorate as a manifesto commitment at the next general election. All proposals have been and will continue to be the subject to clearance with Cabinet colleagues in the normal way.

Refreshment Department: Consultants

Janet Anderson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost will be to the House of Commons Refreshment Department of the research being undertaken by the Russell Partnership.

Nick Harvey: The Russell Partnership is currently undertaking two research projects for the House of Commons Refreshment Department:
	an operational and financial benchmarking review of catering and retail services; and,
	customer research to provide qualitative input for the benchmarking review.
	Further to my reply to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 658W, the tendered price to interview a sample of around 35 MPs and to conduct a survey among staff of the House and Members' staff was £6,950. The cost of the benchmarking review will be up to £6,250.
	Both contracts were awarded following competitive tendering exercises under the House of Commons consultancy framework agreement. The research is being carried out in response to recommendations made by the Administration Committee in their report on Refreshment Department Services (HC 733) published on 14 February 2006.

Iraq: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what sectoral priorities the Government is supporting through aid in Iraq.

Shahid Malik: Iraq is a wealthy country, with government revenues expected to be around $33 billion this year. Our priority is helping the Iraqi Government to unlock the potential of its human and financial resources to enable growth and deliver better public services to its own people. We also aim to internationalise the aid effort by leveraging a more effective role for key players such as the World Bank and IMF and we support the most vulnerable Iraqis through contributions to humanitarian agencies.
	Since March 2003, the UK Government have provided £744 million for these reconstruction and development priorities in Iraq. This includes £90 million for infrastructure projects and £125 million for humanitarian agencies. Current programmes include: an Economic Reform Programme advising the Iraqi Government on macro-economic, fiscal and public financial management issues; our Support of Centre of Government programme to help build key government institutions of central government including the Prime Minister's office; and work through the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Basra to promote public and private investment. We are also supporting the establishment of institutions including the Basra Investment Promotion Agency and Basra Development Fund designed to promote private sector development and credit for small and medium enterprises. This work is already serving as a model for assistance elsewhere in Iraq.

Philippines: Overseas Aid

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK Government gave to the government of the Philippines in the last year for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: In 2006-07 the UK gave £143,000 in bilateral aid to the Government of the Philippines.

South East Asia: Overseas Aid

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been given to help those affected by the recent flooding in South East Asia.

Shahid Malik: DFID responded to the floods in South Asia and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. We did not receive requests for assistance from South East Asian states.
	In the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DFID contributed £650,000
	£500,000 through WFP to provide food, clean water and safeguard people against water borne diseases.
	£149,422 to Save the Children for essential health care support.
	We have also offered support to the UN if required to assist with co-ordinating the relief effort.
	In South Asia DFID contributed over £5 million to help the worst affected countries.
	In Bangladesh we contributed £2.1 million through the Chars Livelihood Programme, United Nations Development Programme and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) to provide food, water, emergency shelter and medicines to help more than 1 million people in the worst-affected districts.
	In Pakistan, we contributed £2.2 million through the Pakistani Rural Support Programme Network, the United Nations, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) providing multi-sectoral immediate relief as well as livelihoods assistance.
	In India, DFID gave Save the Children £750,000 to provide general relief items, healthcare and livelihood support, children's education and protection to 13,341 families (including 31,660 children).

Children's Centres: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of children's centres in targeting the most disadvantaged children and families; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure children's centres are father friendly; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of children's centres' effectiveness in working with community organisations.

Beverley Hughes: We now have over 1,400 children's centres up and running providing services to, predominantly, the most disadvantaged communities. The National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) findings on the early impact of 150 of the first Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) (November 2005) identified that of those families in the most disadvantaged areas served by SSLPs, 86 per cent. of the parents in the sample were benefiting from Sure Start. However, this evaluation also found that some of the most socially excluded groups could not be shown to be benefiting from living in a SSLP area. Although the NESS methodology could not identify whether any of the children in the sample had actually attended a Sure Start centre or not. We have taken a number of steps to ensure that the most excluded partners benefit.
	In November 2005 the Department issued 'Practice Guidance' to encourage greater use of outreach and home-visiting services by children's centres to reach the most disadvantaged families, which we then updated in November 2006.
	To encourage better monitoring and a more systematic approach we issued Planning and Performance Management Guidance in November 2006 which contains a framework for centres to assess their progress in reaching excluded groups in their area.
	We also commissioned Together for Children (TfC) to produce a toolkit, issued in December 2006, to complement our Practice Guidance and support centres in gathering information about their area and recording how they engage with excluded groups.
	In August, we announced significant additional funds for children's centres for 2008-11 including funding to enable local authorities to add two outreach workers to centres serving the most disadvantaged communities, with a particular emphasis on reaching out to and supporting more fathers.
	Research evidence shows that the impact a father's early involvement has on their child is long-lasting. Our revised Practice Guidance therefore emphasises the crucial role fathers have to play in giving their children the best start in life. It provides advice about how children's centres can tailor their services to meet the needs of fathers, including non-resident parents, how staff should be encouraged to engage proactively with fathers and specific areas where fathers may require additional support. The Planning and Performance Management guidance recommends that children's centres assess how well they engage with fathers and the TfC toolkit includes advice on working with fathers.
	We have not made an assessment of how well children's centres work with organisations from the community sector. However, an early survey of Phase 1 children's centres showed that 82 per cent. of children's centres had contracts with the voluntary sector for services. The Practice Guidance makes clear that local authorities must work with those organisations that have a track record of understanding local needs and delivering services that improve children's outcomes. In addition, we require local authorities to consult and consider using all private, voluntary and community sector organisations in the area when planning and developing children's centres services. In 2008, local authorities must review all centres developed in 2003-06 to ensure that maximum use has been made of good quality local private, voluntary and community sector suppliers and repeat this exercise every two years. We expect local authorities to keep evidence that they have carried out the required reviews.

Respect Budget: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been provided to Bournemouth through the Respect budget; and for what purposes.

Kevin Brennan: The total Respect grant allocated to Bournemouth between 2006-08 is £387,307.
	In 2006-07 the Respect Task Force provided Bournemouth borough council with a total grant of £48,860.
	This funding allocation contributed to Bournemouth council's wider effort to tackle antisocial behaviour and contributed towards the initial set up costs of its Family Intervention Project.
	In 2007-08 the Respect Task Force has made available a total Respect grant allocation of £338,447 This represents:
	£50,000 for a parenting expert, based in or linked to the antisocial behaviour team, to deliver additional parenting support to families. This funding was announced on 21 November 2006 and is available in 77 areas across England.
	£125,000 to improve Bournemouth's parenting services for families whose children are at risk of or involved in antisocial behaviour. The Respect Task Force announced this funding on 22 January 2007 as part of a wider announcement highlighting the commitment of 40 areas to become Respect areas, of which Bournemouth were announced as one. All Respect areas were invited to apply for £125,000.
	£128,447 allocated for the set-up and operation of its Family Intervention Project, one of 53 projects being established across the country.
	£35,000 Respect grant contribution has been allocated to Bournemouth's Local Area Agreement pot which can be used flexibly to deliver the Respect programme.
	In addition to direct Respect grants, Bournemouth can flexibly use other funds, pooled through Local Area Agreements to tackle antisocial behaviour and implement the Respect programme.

Birds: Conservation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Royal Society for Protection of Birds on increasing the number of marine wildlife reserves.

Jonathan R Shaw: As I indicated, in a letter of 30 September 2007 to the Royal Society for Protection of Birds' (RSPB) chief executive, I would welcome an opportunity to hold discussions with the RSPB. These discussions could include consideration of marine wildlife reserves and the possibility of increasing their number.

Dredging

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the process of applying for and being granted a licence to dredge off the coast of England; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many licences were  (a) granted and  (b) refused for dredging off the coast of (i) England and (ii) the East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much was received for dredging licences in respect of sites off the coast of  (a) England and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The hon. Member's questions appear to concern the dredging of marine minerals (the extraction of sand and gravel from the seabed to be landed for use in construction or beach maintenance) rather than dredging more generally. I will therefore confine my answer to this area.
	The Crown Estate, as landowner up to 12 miles offshore and the owner of the rights to non-energy minerals within the UK continental shelf and beyond, issues licences to dredge for marine minerals. 13 licences were issued in the last 10 years. The numbers issued in each year are set out in Table 1. No licences were issued for dredging off the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire in this period and no marine minerals dredging is currently licensed there. The closest that any such dredging currently takes place to this coast is to the south of Spurn Head and some 10 kilometres off the coast of Lincolnshire which the Crown Estate refers to as the Humber region for administrative purposes. Two licences were issued in this area, in 2000.
	No licences were refused during this period. Licence proposals that were likely to be refused were either abandoned by the prospective applicant before submission as applications, or withdrawn before any formal decision was made.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Licences issued for English  w aters 
			 1997 0 
			 1998 0 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 3 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 4 
			 Total 13 
		
	
	The Crown Estate receives royalties from operators for every tonne of aggregate that is dredged from the seabed that it either owns or controls. Table 2 shows the royalties it has received from English dredging operations over the past 10 years. Net income received by the Crown Estate is paid into the consolidated fund. As there is no aggregate dredging there, no royalties have been received from dredging off the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  £ million 
			  Year  Crown Estate royalties for English waters 
			 1997 9.13 
			 1998 9.46 
			 1999 11.87 
			 2000 12.48 
			 2001 11.38 
			 2002 12.11 
			 2003 12.15 
			 2004 12.25 
			 2005 12.60 
			 2006 13.27 
			 Total 116.70 
		
	
	The Crown Estate only issues a licence when it has received the consent of central Government to the proposal. In the period in question, Government consent was delivered through the Government View system.
	Until 1 April this year, the Department for Communities and Local Government was responsible for keeping the effectiveness of the process for giving Government's consent under review. Since then DEFRA has been responsible.
	As a result of ongoing assessment and regular dialogue with stakeholders, the Government concluded that the existing process needed updating to make the system more transparent and efficient, and to reflect relevant European legislation. A new system to do this was introduced by the Environmental Impact Assessment and Natural Habitats (Extraction of Minerals by Marine Dredging) (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2007 which came into force on 1 May this year.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that decisions on applications are made on the basis of the best possible scientific evidence. In recent years much research has been carried out on understanding coastal processes and the potential impacts of aggregate dredging. DEFRA has recently published a report on this work, funded by the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (which was set up by DEFRA), entitled 'Marine Aggregate Dredging: Helping to Determine Good Practice', published 9 July 2007. This work supports the Government's increasingly sophisticated management of aggregate extraction integrated with the protection of resources of conservation and heritage significance. We are not aware of any scientific evidence to indicate that marine minerals dredging, as controlled by the Government since 1968, has had any effect on the coast or significantly affected the marine environment. The Government are satisfied that the regulation of marine minerals dredging is both effective and adequate.

Fisheries: Closures

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which fisheries have closed in each month during 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: UK Fisheries Administrations have closed, in-year, a total of six fisheries to all UK registered vessels. These are set out in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Fishery  Month of closure 
			 North Sea Sandeels May 
			 Herring Vllghjk July 
			 Deep Sea tusk V, VI, VII July 
			 West of Scotland herring September 
			 Irish Sea haddock September 
			 Bluefin tuna Atlantic Ocean, east of 45, and Mediterranean October 
		
	
	These closures are kept under review and, if quota becomes available from outside the UK, it is possible that they may be re-opened. Further fishery closures at a UK-level will be undertaken if the UK quota for particular stocks is taken in full.

Housing: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties will be protected each year by the recently announced additional proposed expenditure for flood defences.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA introduced new outcome measures for flood and coastal erosion risk management and will be setting targets using them shortly. This will include the number of properties moving between probability bands. In setting targets, we will consider the funding-levels we are able to set following the announcement of the Department's formal comprehensive spending review settlement. It is not yet known how many extra properties will be protected.

Drugs

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average sentence handed down by the courts in Northern Ireland for  (a) possession of and  (b) dealing in drugs was in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
	Tables 1 and 2 give the number of disposals and the average sentence length for each disposal type for unlawful possession of drugs and unlawful dealing in drugs respectively.
	Data cover the calendar years 2001 to 2005, the latest available years, and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Table 1: Disposals given to those convicted of unlawful possession of drugs and the average sentence given by the courts for the years 2001-05 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Immediate custody 23 21 23 23 23 
			 Average sentence (months)(1,2) 6 11 8 7 8 
			   
			 Suspended custody 32 25 23 28 33 
			 Average sentence (months) 6 6 8 7 6 
			   
			 Community Service Order 17 13 8 8 15 
			 Average sentence (hours) 102 100 134 155 128 
			   
			 Attendance Centre Order 1 0 1 1 2 
			 Average sentence (hours) 12 — 12 24 18 
			   
			 Probation Order 33 18 29 36 31 
			 Average sentence (months) 12 12 14 12 15 
			   
			 Fine 175 192 242 263 314 
			 Average amount (£) 145 114 121 128 134 
			   
			 Combination Order 2 0 3 1 6 
			 Average probation period (months)(3) — — 18 12 12 
			 Average community service period (hours)(3) — — 80 100 83 
			   
			 Youth Conference Order(4) — — — 1 0 
			   
			 Conditional Discharge 25 25 45 40 29 
			   
			 Other(5) 2 3 4 0 4 
			   
			 Total number convicted 310 297 378 401 457 
			 '—' = Not applicable. (1) Data include those sentenced to prison, Young Offenders' Centre and those given Custody Probation Orders. (2) Average immediate custodial sentence length for 2002 excludes one sentenced to juvenile justice centre order; 2003 excludes one sentenced to a Juvenile justice centre order and one sentenced to detention at the Secretary of State's pleasure; 2005 excludes two sentenced to a juvenile justice centre order. (3) Data are not available for the average probation period (months) and the average community service period (hours) for Combination Orders for 2001 and 2002. (4) Average sentence lengths are not given for Youth Conference Orders. (5) Other includes Absolute discharge and Recognisance. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Disposals given to those convicted of dealing in drugs and the average sentence given by the courts for the years 2001-05 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Immediate custody(1) 65 44 56 61 60 
			 Average sentence (months) 26 22 30 28 22 
			   
			 Suspended custody 65 40 35 67 47 
			 Average sentence (months) 19 18 17 20 20 
			   
			 Community Service Order 5 2 4 6 4 
			 Average sentence (hours) 116 170 133 145 180 
			   
			 Attendance Centre Order 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Average sentence (hours) — — — 24 — 
			   
			 Probation Order 2 6 7 14 11 
			 Average sentence (months) 24 20 19 18 16 
			   
			 Fine 7 14 9 20 16 
			 Average amount (£) 221 128 106 254 209 
			   
			 Combination Order 1 4 4 9 6 
			 Average probation period (months)(2) — — 15 17 14 
			 Average community service period (hours)(2) — — 95 78 65 
			   
			 Youth Conference Order(3) — — — 0 1 
			   
			 Conditional Discharge 6 2 4 4 4 
			   
			 Other(4) 1 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Total number convicted 152 112 119 182 149 
			 '—' = Not applicable. (1) Data include those sentenced to prison, Young Offenders' Centre and those given Custody Probation Orders. (2) Data are not available for the average probation period (months) and the average community service period (hours) for Combination Orders for 2001 and 2002. (3) Average sentence lengths are not given for Youth Conference Orders. (4) Other includes Absolute discharge and Recognisance.

Northern Ireland Police Authority; Information Officers

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many press officers are employed by the Northern Ireland Police.

Paul Goggins: The PSNT currently employ 16 personnel, filling 13 Press Officer positions (one of whom is part-time) and three Senior Press Officer positions.

Rates and Rating: Northern Ireland

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland where responsibility lies for making changes to the system of local taxation in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Local taxation in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved administration in Northern Ireland. The UK Government remains responsibility for taxes that apply to the United Kingdom as a whole.

Rates and Rating: Northern Ireland

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the UK Government are making a submission to the Northern Ireland Executive's review of domestic rates.

Shaun Woodward: Local Taxation in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved administration in Northern Ireland. The Government have no plans to make a submission to the review of domestic rates in Northern Ireland.

Rates and Rating: Northern Ireland

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 955W, on valuation and rating, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by the Rate Collection Agency's Chief Executive.

Shaun Woodward: A copy of the Chief Executive's letter has now been placed in the Library of the House.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) shortest sentence,  (b) shortest suspended sentence and  (c) lowest fine handed down by the courts in Northern Ireland was following conviction for (i) rape, (ii) attempted rape, (iii) indecent assault on a female, (iv) indecent assault on a male, (v) indecent assault on a female child, (vi) indecent assault on a male child, (vii) gross indecency with a child, (viii) buggery with a boy under 16 years of age, (ix) buggery with a girl, (x) unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 years, (xi) unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 years, (xii) permitting a girl under 17 years to use premises for intercourse, (xiii) incest by man, (xiv) indecent exposure with intent to assault a female, (xv) exposure, (xvi) voyeurism, (xvii) sex offender failing to notify police of change of address, (xviii) breach of interim sex offender's prevention order, (xix) bigamy, (xx) distributing indecent photographs of children, (xxi) possessing indecent photograph of a child, (xxii) taking indecent photograph or pseudo photograph of children and (xxiii) making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph of children in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
	Tables 1-3 give the number sentenced to immediate custody and the minimum sentence length (in months) handed down by the courts for those convicted of specific sexual offences for the calendar years 2003 to 2005 (the latest years available). Tables 4-6 provide similar information for those given a suspended sentence.
	The number of defendants disposed of by a fine and the minimum fine amount given over the same period are documented in tables 7-9.
	Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number sentenced to immediate custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2003 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Minimum custodial sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 8 18 
			 Attempted rape 1 24 
			 Indecent assault on female 30 4 
			 Indecent assault on male 4 12 
			 Indecent assault on female child 3 12 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 (1)— 
			 Gross indecency with child 5 12 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 1 84 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 1 60 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (1)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 0 (1)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 0 (1)— 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 1 24 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1) Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number sentenced to immediate custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2004 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Minimum custodial sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 15 48 
			 Attempted rape 3 48 
			 Indecent assault on female 19 2 
			 Indecent assault on male 9 3 
			 Indecent assault on female child 2 12 
			 Indecent assault on male child(1) 2 48 
			 Gross indecency with child 3 12 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 4 60 
			 Buggery with girl 1 24 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 3 6 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (2)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (2)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (2)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (2)— 
			 Indecent exposure 1 1 
			 Voyeurism 0 (2)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (2)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (2)— 
			 Bigamy 0 (2)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 1 12 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 1 6 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 2 6 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 4 6 
			 (1) One offender was sentenced to prison and one given a juvenile justice centre order. The shortest sentence length stated is based on the prison sentence. (2) Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number sentenced to immediate custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2005 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Minimum custodial sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 4 48 
			 Attempted rape 4 60 
			 Indecent assault on female 21 3 
			 Indecent assault on male 4 9 
			 Indecent assault on female child 13 6 
			 Indecent assault on male child 3 8 
			 Gross indecency with child 3 8 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 1 96 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 3 14 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (1)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 1 36 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 1 3 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 1 12 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 1 18 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 5 4 
			 (1) Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number sentenced to suspended custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2003 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to suspended custody  Minimum suspended sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 13 3 
			 Indecent assault on male 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female child 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 (1)— 
			 Gross indecency with child 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 3 8 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 1 3 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 1 5 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of children) 1 4 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 3 2 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1) Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Number sentenced to suspended custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2004 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to suspended custody  Minimum suspended sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 18 1 
			 Indecent assault on male 2 6 
			 Indecent assault on female child 1 24 
			 Indecent assault on male child 2 18 
			 Gross indecency with child 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 2 24 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 1 36 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 1 12 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 0 (1)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 0 (1)— 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 1 6 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1 )Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Number sentenced to suspended custody for sexual offences and the minimum sentence length (in months) given by offence for the year 2005 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to suspended custody  Minimum suspended sentence given (months) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 9 2 
			 Indecent assault on male 2 6 
			 Indecent assault on female child 1 18 
			 Indecent assault on male child 2 6 
			 Gross indecency with child 2 2 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 2 4 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 1 18 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 1 4 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 1 3 
			 Bigamy 0 (1)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 1 3 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 1 12 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 1 1 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1 )Sentence length is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 7: Number sentenced to a fine for sexual offences and the minimum fine (£) given by offence for the year 2003 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to a fine  Minimum fine given (£) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 3 400 
			 Indecent assault on male 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female child 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 (1)— 
			 Gross indecency with child 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (1)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 1 100 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 2 250 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1 )Fine amount is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 8: Number sentenced to a fine for sexual offences and the minimum fine (£) given by offence for the year 2004 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to a fine  Minimum fine given (£) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 2 150 
			 Indecent assault on male 1 250 
			 Indecent assault on female child 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 (1)— 
			 Gross indecency with child 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (1)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 (1)— 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 0 (1)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 0 (1)— 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1) Fine amount is not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 9: Number sentenced to a fine for sexual offences and the minimum fine (£) given by offence for the year 2005 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to a fine  Minimum fine given (£) 
			 Rape 0 (1)— 
			 Attempted rape 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female 4 100 
			 Indecent assault on male 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent assault on female child 1 2,500 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 (1)— 
			 Gross indecency with child 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 (1)— 
			 Buggery with girl 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 0 (1)— 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 0 (1)— 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 (1)— 
			 Incest by man 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to insult a female 0 (1)— 
			 Indecent exposure 0 (1)— 
			 Voyeurism 0 (1)— 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 4 100 
			 Breach of interim sex offender's prevention order 0 (1)— 
			 Bigamy 0 (1)— 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Possessing indecent photograph(s) of child(ren) 0 (1)— 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 (1)— 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photograph(s) of children 0 (1)— 
			 (1 )Fine amount is not applicable.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been appointed to his Department outside Civil Service grades in the last 30 days.

Anne McGuire: The Department engaged 36 non-civil service contractors to fill interim posts during this period.
	In addition, my Department publishes information annually on appointments to the public bodies for which it is responsible. Data for 2006-07 are available at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/ndpb/DraftPublicBodies.pdf.

Departments: Pension Service

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what systems are in place to ensue accurate information-sharing between his Department and the Pensions Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Pensions Service is part of the Department for Work and Pensions and accordingly there is a free flow of information and data across the organisation. The exchange of information takes place both clerically and via interfacing IT systems.
	One of the major features of the Department's IT is a core system (customer information system), which holds a record for each national insurance number holder and a comprehensive range of personal details as a minimum. By linking all of the main benefit application services (e.g. income support computer system, pensions Strategy computer system) to CIS, the Department is able to keep customer records fully updated and is able to provide immediate notification of change of circumstances when they occur.
	The IT systems links across DWP, including the Pension Service through CIS, and include the transition from working age to pensions.

Employment: Lone Parents

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how may work-focused interviews have been booked with lone parents whose youngest child is aged 11 or over in the last 12 months; how many lone parents whose youngest child is 11 or over  (a) moved into work and  (b) came off benefits in each of the last 12 months; how many sanctions for failing to attend a work-focused interview were applied to lone parents whose youngest child is aged 11 or over in each of the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: 374,000 Work-Focused Interviews were booked for lone parents with a youngest child aged 11 or over between April 2006 and March 2007.
	The remaining available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Lone parents with youngest child aged 11 and over 
			  Month  Into work  Off benefits  Sanctions 
			  2006
			 April 1,940 3,580 840 
			 May 2,300 3,640 1,060 
			 June 2,100 3,500 1,060 
			 July 2,020 3,440 1,040 
			 August 1,860 3,340 1,080 
			 September 2,880 4,040 760 
			 October 2,960 4,640 920 
			 November 2,520 3,340 940 
			 December 1,400 3,220 820 
			  2007
			 January 2,020 3,340 980 
			 February 1,720 3,220 980 
			 March 1,660 3,740 1,160 
			  Notes: 1. Employment data relates to lone parents who had claimed income support and were recorded as entering work during the period. Data may include some lone parents who continued their income support claim after finding work. 2. Employment data under-represents lone parents entering work during the period as it excludes some job entries e.g. people with earnings below the tax threshold and those entering self-employment. 3. Data for people moving off benefits in the period is for people who stopped claiming income support and did not continue claiming any other benefit. Those who ended their income support claim, but were in receipt of a different benefit immediately after ending their claim, are not included. 4. Sanctions data only includes those who were in receipt of or entitled to income support. 5. Latest available data for all requested information is to March 2007.  Sources: National Benefits Database and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pensioners: Poverty

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the impact on pensioner poverty of raising the level of the basic state pension to the level of the guarantee credit; and what assumptions he has used about the take-up of income-related benefits in coming to this estimate.

Mike O'Brien: We have made good progress in tackling pensioner poverty. Since 1997 the number of pensioners living in relative poverty, based on a threshold of 60 per cent. Of contemporary median income after housing costs, has fallen by 1.1 million, from 2.9 million to 1.8 million in 2005-06.
	Raising the level of the basic state pension to the level of the guarantee credit is estimated to reduce the number of pensioners below 60 per cent. median income after housing costs by around 200,000 based on 2007-08 benefit rates.
	This figure is based on the Department's policy simulation model. Take up of income related benefits are modelled and lie within the range of published National Statistics estimates.

State Retirement Pensions: Widowed People

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widows in receipt of widow's pension prior to their 60th birthday have failed to claim their state retirement pension.

Mike O'Brien: A woman in receipt of widow's pension has various options on reaching State pension age (currently 60). She can choose to continue receiving her widow's pension up to the age of 65, she can choose to claim her State pension in place of the widow's pension, or she can give up her widow's pension and not draw her State pension in order to earn a higher State pension or lump sum when she does claim it.
	Our records show that just over 20,000 women aged 60 to 64 are receiving widow's pension.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Border and Immigration Agency

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of letters sent by hon. Members to the Borders and Immigration Agency have received a substantive reply within  (a) three,  (b) four,  (c) six,  (d) eight, (e) 10 and  (f) more than 10 weeks; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In the period 1 January to 30 June 2007, the last period full data is available, the Border and Immigration Agency received 22,636 letters from hon. Members.
	Of these:
	 (a) 12,713 (56.2 per cent.) were answered in three weeks or less
	 (b) 18,866 (83.3 per cent.) were answered in four weeks or less
	 (c) 20,917 (92.4 per cent.) were answered in six weeks or less
	 (d) 21,426 (94.7 per cent.) were answered in eight weeks or less
	 (e) 21,910 (96.8 per cent.) were answered in 10 weeks or less
	 (f) 643 (2.8 per cent.) took more than 10 weeks to answer.

British Transport Police

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Government departments provide funding for the British Transport Police.

Tom Harris: I have been asked to reply.
	Revenue funding for the force is provided by the industry. The Department for Transport is providing £7.5 million for capital expenditure this financial year and the force receives money from the Home Office for specific initiatives.

Community Support Officers: Young People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness and suitability of under-18 year olds serving as police community support officers; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are employed as police staff and as such are bound by standard employment regulations. It is for individual chief officers in each force to determine whether a person is suitable, capable and adequately trained to undertake the role of PCSO.
	The Home Office will be working with senior colleagues in the service to make sure current guidance is sufficient to ensure that only those who are capable of performing the role serve as PCSOs.

Crimes of Violence: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the figures were for  (a) violent crime and  (b) gun crime in Suffolk in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

Vernon Coaker: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to suggestions in the two reviews of crime statistics. Once such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
	There were 2,448 offences of violence against the person recorded in Suffolk in 1997 and 10,190 offences recorded in 2006-07, the latest year for which statistics are available. The introduction of expanded coverage in 1998 and the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in 2002 resulted in an artificial increase in recorded offences of violence against the person and figures for the two years are therefore not directly comparable.
	There were 17 firearms offences (excluding air weapons) in Suffolk in 1997 and 58 in 2005-06, the latest year for which data is available.

Foreign Workers: Care Homes

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued to senior care workers in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of work permit applications which were approved for overseas nationals for senior care workers from non-EU states in period 2005 -2006. Data prior to 2005 is not available.
	
		
			   Approvals 
			 2005 1,870 
			 2006 5,690 
			  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Genocide: Rwanda

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with her French and Belgian counterparts on the search for and prosecution of suspected Rwandan genocidaires residing in those countries;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to encourage other EU governments to arrest suspected Rwandan genocidaires residing in their countries;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with EU counterparts about procedures for extradition to Rwanda of suspected Rwandan genocidaires residing in Europe.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 8 October 2007
	 It is for each member state to determine, in accordance with its own laws, what action might be appropriate in particular cases. Regular discussions, however, are held with EU counterparts, both at ministerial and official level, about a range of judicial cooperation issues including, from time to time, about bringing to justice alleged genocidaires from Rwanda. No one fleeing prosecution in that country should expect to find safe haven or to enjoy impunity within the EU. That is why the Government have entered into special extradition arrangements with Rwanda in respect of four cases currently before the courts.

Identity Cards: Channel Islands

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether compulsory identity cards will be introduced in  (a) Jersey,  (b) Guernsey and  (c) Isle of Man simultaneously with the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: There are no provisions in the Identity Cards Act to make it compulsory to have an identity card and to do so would require further primary legislation.
	As with previous legislation on identity cards, the Government would consult the administrations of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man as and when further primary legislation on identity cards was being prepared.

Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for a Royal Commission on Policing; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government have no plans to set up a Royal Commission on policing.

Police: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much extra funding will be provided by the Government for policing provision during the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office provide special grant to police authorities to pay for the additional costs of policing the main annual party conferences.
	Dorset police submitted a bid of £4.5 million (revenue) plus £80,000 (capital) for the additional costs of policing the 2007 Labour Party autumn conference which has been approved.

Work Permits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people who were granted a UK work permit in 2000 subsequently  (a) applied for and  (b) were granted settlement.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Although, information on both work permits and grants of settlement are provided in the Home Office Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006". It is not possible to directly cross reference between the data as the basis for calculation is different.

Overseas Trade: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the value was of international trade in  (a) goods and  (b) services for the Yorkshire and Humber region in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; and what percentage of gross domestic product in each year each figure represents.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 12 September 2007
	HM Revenue and Customs publishes a regional breakdown for trade in goods going back to 2000. Their figure for 2000 for exports of goods from Yorkshire and the Humber was £8.8 billion compared with £12.7 billion in 2006; the 2006 figure may have been affected by transactions associated with missing trader VAT fraud. In 2000 this was about 14.5 per cent. of regional gross value added; regional GVA figures for 2006 are not yet available, but the comparable figure is likely to be about 15.4 per cent. For imports of goods, equivalent figures are £10.7 billion and 17.6 per cent. in 2000, and £14.1 billion and 17.1 per cent. in 2006. Similar data for regional trade in services are not available.

Post Offices: Disadvantaged

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether alternative locations for post offices that Royal Mail propose for closure will be required to comply with disability discrimination legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Disability access to Crown post offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. acting in compliance with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination legislation.

Biofuels

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) volume and  (b) proportion of biofuels used in England was (i) imported and (ii) produced domestically in each of the last five years; what the equivalent estimated figures are for each year up to 2010; and what impact this had upon reducing carbon emissions from vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The total quantities of biofuels released for consumption in the UK are available via the HM Revenue and Customs website at http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil. Annual figures are summarised in the following table. Information on the carbon savings associated with these biofuels is not available.
	
		
			  Annual quantities of biofuels released for consumption in the UK and estimated carbon savings 
			  M illions of litres 
			   Biodiesel  Bioethano 
			 2002 3 0 
			 2003 19 0 
			 2004 21 0 
			 2005 33 85 
			 2006 169 95 
		
	
	Provisional figures suggest that the total quantity of biofuel released for consumption over the first eight months of 2007 amounted to some 318 million litres, or around 1 per cent. of total road transport fuel sales. The Government do not hold precise data on the origin of these fuels, and information on the carbon savings associated with them is not available. All of the bioethanol over the period in question was imported, whereas a significant amount of the biodiesel was produced in the UK. During 2006 and 2007, however, imports of biodiesel rose sharply.
	The Government are due to introduce a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April 2008. This should create a demand for around 1 billion litres of biofuel in 2008, rising to around 1.75 billion litres in 2009 and 2.5 billion litres in 2010. We anticipate that this demand will be met by both imported and domestically produced biofuels. The carbon savings will depend on a number of factors, including the carbon intensity of the biofuels transport fuel suppliers choose to source. The RTFO's reporting requirements are designed to provide a strong incentive for transport fuel suppliers to source sustainable, low-carbon biofuels.
	The Government have also announced that from 2010-11 they aim to reward biofuels under the RTFO according to the amount of carbon they save. This should provide greater certainty over the level of carbon savings that the biofuels should deliver. Further details are set out in an informal policy paper which is available via this Department's website at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/rtfo/.

Al-Yamamah Project

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 362W, on the Al-Yamamah project, what the costs were for which his Department received a management fee from the Saudi Arabian government in respect of the Al-Yamamah programme; in which years since 1985 a management fee was paid; whether the fees were retained by the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Department has been paid a management fee in every year since 1986 to cover the cost of its participation in the Al Yamamah Project. The fee is held by the Department to cover in full expenditure as it arises on such items as the salaries and salary-related costs of the staff of the Saudi Armed Forces Project, office and domestic accommodation charges, travel and subsistence, IT and telecommunications, training and professional fees, and utilities.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 16, on military inquests, how many military coroners inquests are outstanding; on what dates he held meetings with ministerial colleagues to discuss outstanding coroners' inquests since he came into office; what discussions he has had with the  (a) Leader of the House and  (b) the Secretary of State for Justice on military inquests since 12 July 2007; and what his definition is of backlog.

Des Browne: holding answer 23 July 2007
	The scheduling of inquests touching on the deaths of Service personnel is a matter for the relevant coroner across England and Wales. As at 28 September 2007, 120 inquests had been completed on Service personnel killed on operations since 2001, 80 of which have been held since the Government took steps to speed up the process on 5 June 2006. 131 inquests remain open: 45 within the jurisdiction of the Oxfordshire Coroner; 44 for the Swindon and Wiltshire Coroner; and 42 for other coroners.
	Of the original backlog of 59 inquests identified in the joint Written Ministerial Statement on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 4WS, two remain open within the Oxfordshire Coroner's jurisdiction, one of which has been scheduled. There is one inquest into the deaths of the 10 service personnel killed in the Hercules crash in January 2005 open within the Swindon and Wiltshire Coroner's jurisdiction.
	I regard a backlog as having arisen when the volume of inquests makes it difficult for a coroner to conduct the necessary investigations and inquests in a timely manner. Additional resources have been made available by the MOD and the Ministry of Justice to meet the needs of the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire Coroners. We will keep the need for any further resources under close review.
	Defence Ministers have engaged closely and regularly with colleagues in the Department of Constitutional Affairs/Ministry of Justice and there have been five joint Written Ministerial Statements to update Parliament on this issue and the additional resources made available. The most recent joint Written Ministerial Statement was made by myself and the Minister for Justice on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 97WS).

RAF Cosford

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a statement on future military uses for RAF Cosford in Shropshire.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1442W, and the statement made by the Minister for the Armed Forces on 12 September 2007,  Official Report, column 122WS. The Department is exploring a number of proposals for the future defence use of DCAE Cosford and no decision has yet been made. These proposals include the possibility of basing troops returning to the UK from Germany at Cosford, further announcements will be made once this work has been completed.

Community Hospitals

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schemes and at what total cost has been approved by the end of financial year 2006-07 from the five-year expenditure programme of up to £750 million in community hospitals and services announced in July 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 October 2007
	We announced four schemes in December 2006. A new primary care centre in Washington; the redevelopment of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital; the development of a new community health centre in Yate, Bristol; and the establishment of a Healthy Living Park in Minehead, West Somerset. The total amount allocated to these schemes is £44.6 million. All schemes are subject to the business case approval process.

Departments: Public Bodies

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1630-4W, on Departments: public bodies, what changes were made to the NHS Information Centre's responsibilities in each year since 2004-05; to which bodies any such responsibilities were transferred; and what the budget of the Centre was in each year.

Ivan Lewis: The Health and Social Care Information Centre, now known as The Information Centre for health and social care (1C), was created by statutory instrument as a special health authority on 1 April 2005.
	The Information Centre's revenue resource limit from the Department is set out in the following table.
	Revenue resource limit for The Information Centre 2004-05 to 2007-08
	
		
			   Revenue Resource Limit (£ million) 
			 2004-05 (1)0 
			 2005-06 53.1 
			 2006-07 41.5 
			 2007-08 (2)37.2 
			 (1) No funding allocated in 2004-05 because the IC was only established on 1 April 2005.  (2) The 2007-08 figure is subject to change because the revenue resource limit for 2007-08 will only be finalised in January. 
		
	
	The IC took over some of the functions of the earlier NHS Information Authority, which it replaced, together with most of the activities of the former Department of Health Statistics Division and the Prescribing Support Unit of West Yorkshire Health Authority, from which staff were transferred into the IC. These areas of work have been reviewed, integrated and further developed within the remit of the IC.
	There have been no changes to the responsibilities of the IC since its establishment in April 2005. As part of the process of integration and consolidation since this date, every opportunity has been taken to ensure that the work undertaken by The IC has been delivered in the most effective and efficient manner. Changes in processes and ways of working have ensured that the IC has delivered efficiencies since it was established, while ensuring that priorities are still delivered.

Fibromyalgia

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of fibromyalgia among  (a) the general public and  (b) health professionals;
	(2)  what progress is being made in improving NHS  (a) diagnosis and  (b) treatment of fibromyalgia;
	(3)  what recent representations he has had and received on fibromyalgia.

Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the progress being made by the national health service into improving the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia.
	We have taken no recent steps to raise awareness of fibromyalgia among the general public and health professionals.
	We have received three recent Downing Street e-petitions on fibromyalgia, as well as correspondence from individuals and their members of Parliament.

Health Professions: Employment

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to assist newly qualified nurses to find employment; and what recent discussions there have been between his Department and the health Ministers in  (a) Wales and  (b) Scotland on placing newly qualified (i) nurses, (ii) physiotherapists and (iii) consultant doctors in employment.

Ann Keen: In April 2007 the Social Partnership Forum, a partnership between the Department, unions and NHS employers, launched an action plan for maximising the opportunities for newly qualified health care professionals in England. This sets out actions to deliver a demonstrable improvement in graduate employment. NHS employers are undertaking a review of progress against the action plan.
	Officials in the Department, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly will continue to discuss issues affecting the national health service workforce.

Maternity Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 176W, on maternity services, on what evidential basis the figure for live births in England in 2006 was estimated; and what percentage change this figure represented from live births in England in 2005.

Ann Keen: In 2005 there were 613,028 live births in England. In 2006 there were 635,748 live births. This was a 3.7 per cent. increase on live births in England in 2005. The figure for live births in the original reply was for England and Wales whereas these figures are England only. This information is given in the table. Table 6 of the "Office Of National Statistics Births (Provisional), Selected Background Data, England and Wales" and is published on the ONS website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/Table_6_Area Health.xls
	The figure for the number of live births in England 2006 comes from the details collected when births are registered. Registering a birth is a legal requirement and must be done within 42 days of the birth. Births to residents of England which are registered elsewhere are excluded, while births registered in England whose usual residence is elsewhere, are included.
	
		
			  Table 6: live births by health area of usual residence of mother, numbers, general fertility rates and total fertility rates, 2006—England and Wales, Government Office Regions (within England), and health authorities/boards( 1) 
			  Area of usual residence  Live births  GFR( 2)  TFR( 3) 
			  England and Wales 669,601 60.2 1.86 
			 
			  England 635,748 60.3 1.86 
			 
			  North East 29,184 56.5 1.80 
			 North East 29,184 56.5 1.80 
			 
			  North West 84,155 60.0 1.90 
			 North West 84,155 60.0 1.90 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 62,955 59.4 1.86 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 62,955 59.4 1.86 
			 
			  East Midlands 50,717 57.4 1.83 
			 East Midlands 50,717 57.4 1.83 
			 
			  West Midlands 67,688 62.5 1.97 
			 West Midlands 67,688 62.5 1.97 
			 
			  East 66,870 59.9 1.88 
			 East of England 66,870 59.9 1.88 
			 
			  London 120,898 65.8 1.85 
			 London 120,898 65.8 1.85 
			 
			  South East 98,566 59.2 1.85 
			 South East Coast 49,163 59.0 1.86 
			 South Central 49,403 59.4 1.83 
			 
			  South West 54,715 56.1 1.80 
			 South West 54,715 56.1 1.80 
			 
			  Wales 33,628 58.1 1.86 
			 Anglesey 697 58.2 1.92 
			 Gwynedd 1,331 60.3 1.91 
			 Conwy 1,149 62.2 2.13 
			 Denbighshire 989 58.2 1.94 
			 Flintshire 1,719 58.9 1.93 
			 Wrexham 1,597 61.7 1.96 
			 Powys Teaching 1,222 57.3 2.02 
			 Ceredigion 590 39.3 1.48 
			 Pembrokeshire 1,278 63.1 2.18 
			 Carmarthenshire 1,887 58.9 1.95 
			 Swansea 2,543 56.2 1.79 
			 Neath Port Talbot 1,515 58.4 1.92 
			 Bridgend 1,526 59.1 1.96 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 1,360 57.3 1.90 
			 Cardiff 4,216 55.2 1.69 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff Teaching 2,778 58.1 1.81 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 692 62.2 2.06 
			 Caerphilly Teaching 2,167 63.1 2.01 
			 Blaenau Gwent 770 55.8 1.86 
			 Torfaen 1,069 60.8 1.99 
			 Monmouthshire 854 56.4 2.00 
			 Newport 1,679 58.9 1.93 
			 
			 Normal residence outside England and Wales 225 — — 
			 (1) Strategic health authorities in England and local health boards in Wales. (2) The general fertility rate (GFR) is the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. (3) The total fertility rate (TFR) is the average number of children that would be born per woman if women experienced the age-specific fertility rates of the year in question throughout their childbearing lifespan.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the implementation of the Musculoskeletal Services Framework as a method of reducing  (a) long-term sickness and  (b) the number of people claiming incapacity benefit.

Ann Keen: We are not aware of any discussions between departmental officials and the Department of Work and Pensions on the implementation of the musculoskeletal services framework as a method of reducing long-term sickness and the number of people claiming incapacity benefit.
	The framework was published as good practice guidance and it is for local organisations to decide how best to implement it.

NHS: Alcoholic Drinks

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff were given time off for treatment for either alcohol or drug abuse in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Data is not collected centrally on how many national health service staff are given time off for treatment for either alcohol or drug abuse. It is the responsibility of NHS employers to support their staff with any health related problems, ensuring that patient safety is also taken into consideration.

NHS: Internet

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total set-up costs were for the, Our NHS, Our Future consultation website; what was the total cost to his Department of the COI Communications video presented via the website; and what ongoing costs will be incurred by his Department for the upkeep of the website.

Ann Keen: The success of the review depends on good communication and the involvement of patients, public and staff. The set-up costs of the communications website are expected to total around £6,000, and the film about £20,000. The ongoing costs of the upkeep of the website will relate to the content as it develops over the course of the review.

Secure Psychiatric Units

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether there is sufficient capacity in existing regional medium secure units to meet the need for such places in each region; in which regions there is an assessed shortfall; what the extent is of the shortfall in each case; and what plans are in place to address the shortfall.

Ivan Lewis: Data on capacity for medium secure services is not routinely collected by the Department. The Department works to support local commissioners, as it is the responsibility of local commissioners to assess service needs in their area and plan accordingly. A capacity review for high and medium secure services was completed in January 2006 in order to inform policy on this issue and to help support commissioners. This capacity review took into consideration historical utilisation, changing legislation (e.g. draft Mental Health Bill and public protection orders), court sentencing trends, prison transfers and the needs of different patient groups (e.g. women, learning disabled men, patients with dangerous and severe personality disorder and deaf patients).
	The review concluded that the need for medium secure capacity was gradually rising and robust local commissioning plans were necessary to ensure that there was strategic planning on a regional basis to deliver additional medium secure capacity in a co-ordinated way and to ensure that commissioning delivered good value for money. As at January 2006 when the review took place, there were 29 national health service medium secure units providing around 1,972 beds, with a further 1,500 beds provided by the independent sector. This has now increased and there are 32 NHS medium secure units.
	The capacity review set out three projections for increases in medium secure capacity, based on variations in trends, the low projections were the lowest capacity increase likely and the high projections were the highest capacity increase likely. The medium projections were the most likely and, in subsequent discussions with stakeholders, the medium projections were thought to be reasonable. An extract from the review with a breakdown of capacity and projections by catchment areas is shown in the following tables. In total, the medium projections in the capacity review predicted an increase in capacity of 614 beds for men and 85 beds for women between 2005-06 and 2010-11, so a total of 699 beds. The NHS is on course to exceed this projected increase in capacity in medium secure services, as long as outlined local plans are followed.
	The NHS have been working on local commissioning plans to ensure strategic planning on a regional basis. These local commissioning plans are under constant review by local commissioners and are updated to take account of changing local circumstances.
	Extract from the capacity review showing estimated projected capacity requirements for medium secure services:
	The following tables show total patient and bed numbers for 2005-06 to 2010-11 broken down by catchment group.
	
		
			  Male patients 
			   2005-06  End 2010-11 
			  Catchment group  Baseline  Lower  Middle  Higher 
			 East Midlands and South Yorks 166 197 223 311 
			 Eastern 211 214 235 293 
			 London 727 828 906 1,155 
			 North West 319 357 391 504 
			 Northern 95 107 120 159 
			 South 265 358 385 466 
			 Wales 145 176 193 247 
			 West Midlands 240 264 302 429 
			 Yorkshire 158 180 185 203 
			 Total—males 2,326 2,681 2,940 3,769 
		
	
	
		
			  Female patients 
			   2005-06  End 2010-11 
			  Catchment group  B aseline  L ower  M iddle  H igher 
			 East Midlands and South Yorks 26 30 33 46 
			 Eastern 48 53 53 55 
			 London 94 116 122 137 
			 North West 64 66 69 79 
			 Northern 11 12 13 16 
			 South 78 98 106 128 
			 Wales 45 44 47 57 
			 West Midlands 60 63 67 79 
			 Yorkshire 29 28 30 32 
			 Total—females 455 511 540 628

Teenage Pregnancy

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is on course to meet the 2010 target for halving the conception rate of under 18s.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	2005 under-18 conception rate data—published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2007—showed that since the 1998 baseline year, the under-18 conception rate in England fell by 11.8 per cent., to its lowest level for over 20 years. The under-16 rate fell by 12.1 per cent. over the same period.
	Not withstanding these achievements, we need to see faster progress in order to achieve the challenging target of halving the under-18 conception rate by 2010. Consequently, we have issued guidance to local authorities and primary care trusts, setting out the key features of local strategies in areas where teenage conception rates have fallen fastest. All areas have been asked to review their strategies against this guidance, with a view to raising all areas' performance to the levels of the best—if all areas had performed as well as the top quartile, the national reduction would be 26 per cent.—more than twice the 11.8 per cent. reduction that has actually been achieved.

Wheelchairs

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received from wheelchair users groups in relation to proposed changes to wheelchair provision and other community equipment services;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to prepare for future demand for wheelchair provision;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on proposed changes to the provision of wheelchairs and other such equipment for the disabled, currently being considered.

Ivan Lewis: The Prime Minister launched the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services Programme in June 2006 to work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop a radical new model for delivery of community equipment and wheelchair services in England, which has users and carers at its heart. The intention was to look at the two services in parallel, but this has not been feasible.
	Two potential models were developed for wheelchair services. However, without robust data it was not possible to make recommendations for the way forward. This is of particular concern in view of the successive reports over the last 20 years which have consistently argued for modernisation and investment in the wheelchair services. A further data gathering exercise was agreed, this will report back to the Ministers in December 2007.
	The programme has engaged with users, carers and organisations that represent them since the beginning. This continues through the user representative group and a user and carer questionnaire.
	We have been working with individual wheelchair users and carers of people who use wheelchairs as well as representatives of:
	Action for Kids;
	Muscular Dystrophy Campaign;
	Multiple Sclerosis Society;
	Spinal Injuries Association;
	Em Power;
	Whiz-Kidz;
	Limbless Association;
	National Forum Wheelchair User Groups; and
	Motor Neurone Disease Association.
	The questionnaire offers users and carers to comment on the chairs they currently have and make suggestions for change. It is available on the CSED website at:
	www.csed.csip.org.uk/workstreams/transforming-community-equipment-wheelchair-services/wheelchair-services/wheelchair-services-user-questionnaire.html
	and through the third sector organisations both through their publications and websites. Wheelchair services are also helping reach those users and carers who are unable to access the web.
	The analysis of the questionnaires will continue until the end of November and the results will feed into the development of the business case.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by his Department on  (a) business and  (b) first class flights in the last 12 months.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor the right hon. Member for North-West Durham (Hilary Armstrong) to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk) on 21 June 2007,  O fficial Report, columns 2048-49W. Information relating to Ministers overseas travel for 2006-07 were published on 25 July 2007 and are available in the Libraries of the Houses for the reference of Members.

Emergencies: Facilities

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) bowsers and  (b) portaloos the public sector has access to for utilising in a national emergency situation; whether there are plans to increase those numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The Public sector does not have access to a specific number of bowsers and portaloos but each water company holds a stock of emergency equipment. Mutual aid arrangements exist between water companies to provide bowsers and other equipment to a water company that is dealing with an emergency. These arrangements can be further augmented, if necessary, with equipment from the public and private sectors. Portaloos and other sanitary equipment can be sourced by a variety of means including local authorities and private contractors when necessary.
	Capability in these areas can be further increased by requesting assistance through established mutual aid arrangements with EU partners.
	The review announced by Secretary of State for DEFRA on 12 July will consider whether or not the existing arrangements for the provision of such items are adequate and make recommendations for improvement where necessary.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library all papers concerning the seminar at Downing Street in February 2002 to discuss the future of IT in the NHS.

Edward Miliband: It is not normal practice to place copies of the PM's internal working papers in the Library of the House.

Constitutional Treaty

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the changes between the EU constitutional treaty and the proposed EU reform treaty are.

Jim Murphy: The constitutional treaty is now defunct. The Inter-Governmental Conference Mandate agreed by the June European Council states that "The constitutional concept has been abandoned."
	While all member states have moved away from the constitution, the UK has a specific treaty deal which means we have moved further than anyone else from the constitution.

Constitutional Treaty

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in negotiations in the intergovernmental conference on the proposed EU reform treaty.

Jim Murphy: The legal group producing the draft treaty finished their work on 3 October.
	We believe that the UK red lines 'will' be achieved and we are confident that we can persuade our European partners that this is the right deal for the UK and EU.

Iran

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Iranian nuclear programme.

David Miliband: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) today (UIN 156131).

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Meg Munn: The situation in Zimbabwe is appalling. That is why my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is clear he will not attend an EU-Africa summit in Europe with President Mugabe. That is also why we're working for change; by giving up to £40 million in humanitarian aid a year; maintaining international pressure on the regime; and supporting those working in Zimbabwe working for democratic change.

UK and US Relations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on the UK's special relationship with the US.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has a regular dialogue with his American counterpart. As both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have said repeatedly, our relationship with the United States will continue to be the single most important bilateral relationship for the United Kingdom. Our discussions with the US Administration take place within this very clear context.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on associations between members of the Afghanistan parliament and Al Qaeda.

Kim Howells: We have not received any reports and are not aware of any associations between members of the Afghan parliament and Al Qaeda.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the GDP per head of population is in  (a) pounds sterling and  (b) US dollars of each of the UK overseas territories, listed in descending order of population size.

Meg Munn: Gross domestic product (GDP) per head calculations rely on information about economic activity (GDP) and population. All GDP calculations are made by the overseas territories (OTs), who employ either specialised statisticians or analysts. The accuracy of GDP depends on the analytical input that such small offices are able to devote to calculating it. Population data is based on a census, which is usually carried out every few years, as in the United Kingdom. Population estimates have to be made for intermediate years.
	Therefore GDP per capita figures will vary in accuracy, and it is not unusual for estimates to be revised after they have been published. The varying populations of the OTs compound this—a small change in population can have a bigger effect on GDP per capita.
	The following table lists the OTs best estimates of GDP per capita for 2005 (or 2004 in the case of the Falkland Islands).
	
		
			   Population  GDP per head ( sterling)  GDP per head ($US) 
			 Bermuda 63,571 42,636 76,403 
			 Cayman Islands 48,353 27,179 48,704 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 30,602 8,752 15,683 
			 Gibraltar 28,779 20,511 36,756 
			 British Virgin Islands 27,000 21,205 38,000 
			 Anguilla 13,638 5,419 9,711 
			 Montserrat 4,785 4,295 7,696 
			 St. Helena 4,100 3,137 5,622 
			 Falkland Islands 2,955 25,350 46,124 
			 Pitcairn Islands 45 1,889 3,385 
		
	
	These figures are based on £/$US exchange rate at 1 July in the relevant year. The St. Helena figure does not include the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, for which data are not available.
	The other OTs—British Indian Ocean Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Sovereign Base areas on Cyprus, and the British Antarctic Territory—have no settled populations.

Burma: Armed Forces

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate the UK Government have made of the number of forcibly conscripted child soldiers in the Burma Army; and what reports he has received on the conditions in which they are held;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to raise the issue of the forced conscription of child soldiers with the Burmese regime.

Meg Munn: We receive regular reports about forced recruitment and the use and ill treatment of child soldiers in Burma. We are unable to estimate the number of forcibly recruited soldiers.
	On 2 October, the Human Rights Council (HRC) passed a resolution sponsored by the EU, with the strong support of the UK, which expressed deep concern about the situation in Burma. In our statement to the HRC, we drew attention to the regime's persistent violations of human rights, including the use of child soldiers.
	We have repeatedly raised the issue with the Burmese regime. My right hon. Friend the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, raised our concerns with the Burmese Foreign Minister in Hamburg on 28 May.
	Our ambassador in Rangoon takes every opportunity to raise human rights with the regime, most recently when he met the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister and the Burmese Minister for Labour on 25 September.

China: Sudan

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work is being undertaken with the People's Republic of China to combat the conflict in Darfur.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have asked their Chinese counterparts to use their influence in Sudan in support of the UN and African Union efforts to resolve the Darfur conflict, and to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between north and south Sudan. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, reinforced this message during his visit to China on 28-29 August when he said "we want China to be a major international player in the world; there is no alternative for the world but to have a responsible China sitting at the global table, helping to solve global issues".
	We are working with Chinese officials on preparations for the peace talks for Darfur planned to start on 27 October and on early recovery efforts in Darfur.

Defence Attache Network

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK's relationship with those countries affected by the review of the Defence Attache Network; and what responses he has received from such countries on the review.

Jim Murphy: The Government continue to place a high value on its international defence relations. In announcing the results of the Defence Attaché review, my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary made clear in his written ministerial statement on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 125WS our belief that this rebalancing of resources, which involves strengthening our representation in some countries and reducing it in others, including through non-resident accreditation, will ensure a network which is effective and relevant to our international interests. We have not received any formal responses from countries affected by this review.

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which private consultancy firms  (a) his Department and  (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

Jim Murphy: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Annual expenditure on external consultants is published in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Department's annual reports, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The two most recent annual reports also contain details of expenditure on the top five consultancy suppliers. The vast majority of work undertaken for the FCO by consultants is associated with its major Information Communication Technology and Estate construction programmes.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon) gave to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs Theresa May) on 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1474W and the reply my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett) gave to my right hon. Friend the member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 16 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 893-94W.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government regarding human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: We raise human rights issues regularly in our contact with the Government of Sri Lanka. Most recently, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, expressed our concern on 27 September during a bilateral meeting with the Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama, in the margins of the UN General Assembly.
	The situation in Sri Lanka was also highlighted by the UK and the EU at the 6(th) Human Rights Council in September. We look forward to the report of the visit to Sri Lanka by Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is due to take place later this month.

Casinos: Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether concerns over problem gambling may be considered as a material factor when assessing a planning application for a casino.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Housing and Planning (Yvette Cooper) on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 268W.

Home Information Packs: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 633W, on home information packs: finance, by what mechanism funding is being provided to trading standards officers in Wales.

Yvette Cooper: Funding for trading standards officers in Wales is provided through the annual revenue settlement. Responsibility for the revenue settlement in Wales rests with the Welsh Assembly Government. In 2007-08 the settlement amounted to £3.7 billion.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether National Register of Social Housing is maintained in-house or by an external company.

Yvette Cooper: The National Register of Social Housing is a database containing information on the individual dwellings which make up the stock of social housing in England. It is under development and currently contains records of 30 per cent. of the stock. The database is maintained in house by Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Low Incomes

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council-owned houses have been built for rent in each West Midlands metropolitan district since 1997.

Iain Wright: The number of council-owned houses built for rent for the period 1996-07 to 2006-07 as reported by the seven West Midlands metropolitan districts is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Permanent dwellings completed by local authorities 
			 Birmingham 0 
			 Coventry 0 
			 Dudley 0 
			 Sandwell 66 
			 Solihull 0 
			 Walsall 0 
			 Wolverhampton 0 
			  Source:  P2 new build from local authorities

Planning Permission: Purfleet

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what period and with whom she will consult consequent on the decision of the High Court in respect of her decision to reject the planning application submitted by George Wimpey for 571 residential units on former industrial land at Cory's Wharf, Purfleet; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State will shortly write to George Wimpy, Thurrock borough council, Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, and other interested persons who appeared at the public inquiry, to invite them to submit written representations in respect of any material changes in planning circumstances that may have occurred since the close of the inquiry. Parties will be asked to submit any representations no later than three weeks from the date of the Secretary of State's letter. Alternatively, parties may ask for the inquiry to be re-opened. In deciding whether the inquiry should be re-opened, the Secretary of State will consider all views that may be expressed to her on this matter.

Planning Permission: Purfleet

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors and whose advice she took into account in deciding to call-in the planning application made by George Wimpey for 571 residential units at the former industrial land at Cory's Wharf, Purfleet; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: In line with the then current policy on recovering planning appeals, set out in Nick Raynsford's statement to the House of Commons on 25 July 2000, the appeal was automatically recovered by the Secretary of State for her own determination in December 2004, rather than being decided by one of her Planning Inspectors, because it raised issues relating to residential development of more than 5 hectares or 150 or more houses.

Customs Officers: South West Region

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs officers were permanently attached to  (a) seaports,  (b) airfields in (i) Cornwall, (ii) Devon, (iii) Dorset, (iv) Isle of Wight and (v) Hampshire in (A) 2001 and (B) 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: HMRC do not release the numbers of front line Customs staff that they deploy at a local level as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

Customs Officers: South West Region

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the permanent presence of customs officers at  (a) seaports and  (b) airfields in (i) Cornwall, (ii) Devon, (iii) Dorset, (iv) Isle of Wight and (v) Hampshire, with particular reference to land-based officers doing uncanalised work; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: HMRC do not release the numbers of front line Customs staff that they deploy at a local level as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

National Insurance Contributions

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of people in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) the United Kingdom who have been informed that their National Insurance contributions do not meet the required level to qualify for the basic state pension in each of the last 10 tax years have made voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions up to the level required to qualify for the basic state pension;
	(2)  what percentage of people in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) the United Kingdom who hold National Insurance numbers have made National Insurance contributions during each of the last 10 tax years.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2007
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) maintains National Insurance records but does not hold the precise data requested by the hon. Member. In particular data is not held by county of residence.
	Each year HMRC tells certain customers where their annual National Insurance contributions do not meet the qualifying level for basic state pension purposes for a tax year and how to pay the amount of voluntary contributions needed to make good the shortfall.
	The following table gives detail for each year on a national basis.
	
		
			   1996-97 to 2001-02  year breakdown not available  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Number of deficiency notices issued(1) 10,021,682 3,785,747 6,664,485 4,719,208 
			 Number of receipts by end of March 2007 i.e. voluntary contributions made. 329,046 129,411 105,774 60,031 
			 (1) The tax years shown are the years in which the shortfall occurred as opposed to the year in which the notice was issued. 
		
	
	The percentage of people with National Insurance numbers who make a contribution in any year is not available.

Smuggling: Boats

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what border controls HM Revenue and Customs exercise on  (a) uncanalised yachts and  (b) pleasure craft traffic, (i) entering and (ii) leaving the UK; and how many seizures of articles subject to an import prohibition have been made by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2003, broken down by category of item; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs challenge, board and search yachts and pleasure craft on an intelligence led basis. We do not centrally record seizures from such craft separately from other modes of transport.
	National seizure figures are available in the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report.